I have started playing piano in december 2006 and violin in january 2007.
Was an absolute beginner in any instrument, never played anything before...
now, 9 months from starting piano I am just past grade 2, trying to tackle grade 3
and 8 months from starting violin am very close to grade 3, but I am closer to grade 3 in violin than in piano, I find the piano grade 3 pieces much more challenging than the grade 3 pieces on violin.

Is piano more difficult or am I just 'naturally' inclined to be a better 'violinist' than a pianist??

I know we had many discussions like this before (which instrument is harder blah blah) and although all instruments are hard to master in their own way, there seemed to be a 'consesus' amongst people that violin is one of the hardest to get started on

Does it matter at the end of the day? not really, as I enjoy playing both instruments, and I will not make a profession of this as I started too late, but it was just a 'reflection' that's all.

I seem to have taken off on violin much faster than piano

Do you get to a point that you just 'know' which one is your real number one instrument? I am beginning to really think violin is my first and the one I feel more passionate about but will it be just a 'phase'? watch this space LOL

When I first decided to 'return' to music after 20 years it was the classical guitar I fell in love with (and still do love). I borrowed Dad's one (he's got a great stock of instruments my Dad ) and a beginners book, oh and a footstool, and I spent about a year picking it up two or three times a week and I honestly was RUBBISH!! I admit I didn't have a teacher but I just could not get the hang of it! So I abandonded it.

Then I managed to get hold of a flute (thanks Dad) but that only lasted a couple of months of frustration (bearing in mind I was a wind player ) but again I had no teacher.

THEN I discovered the violin (cheers again Dad ) and suddenly it all makes sense!!! I must admit my all-time favourite piece of music was the Beethoven violin concerto so it's a wonder I didn't put two and two together when I was a kid!!
Like Jojo I was told I was grade 3-ish after nine months but that was with a teacher. But she was surprised I hadn't had any lessons before I met her so I guess I had been doing okay.

BUT .. I've hit a brick wall just now and don't seem to be improving - I doubt I would pass the grade 3 exam if I took it tomorrow... but then I've just had a five-week break from playing so my fingers are probably out of shape.... I hope

So, the violin feels most 'natural' but my 'best' instrument was my beloved piano which of course I can't play any more (or I would spend 24/7 playing and not do anything else in life so it had to be stopped physically by not having a piano). The clarinet came pretty naturally and quickly to me too when I was a teenager, and so did the oboe, but I've always hated the sound of brass instruments.

Sorry for the long post but yes, I think some people are suited to some instruments more than others.

wouldn't you say you were a pianist then? if all you would do is play piano 24/7 if you had one? or are you a violinist because although you don't play this 24/7 it is the more 'natural' one for you to learn?
or are you both?

What an interesting question, Jo.

I have, on occasion, called myself a 'violinist', but I would never dream of calling myself a singer, or a pianist. Violin is my primary instrument, and I can play to a higher standard on it, and I wonder if that's something to do with it. At the moment though progress seems to have come almost to a complete stand-still, and I'm being ever more drawn back towards the piano.

I find I can more 'naturally' play the violin than the piano; sight-reading piano music is an absolute nightmare for me, whereas violin sight-reading can be quite enjoyable .

I think we perhaps go through phases of feeling passionate about a certain instrument. I feel really bad when I sit at the piano, with my violin shut away in it's case, willing me to play it. Perhaps that in itself should be enough to tell me where my loyalties lie!

Sorry, I don't think I've really helped in anyway, but I was intrigued by this thread!

I 'tend' to feel this way, whilst I enjoy playing the piano, I do miss playing the violin when I sit at the piano, but usually I don't feel the other way round (miss piano whilst playing violin) mmmmmmm

Hi Jo!

I did start the piano about 8/9 months before the violin, and for that reason I am further ahead with it, now studying for my grade 4. Apart from that though, I find the violin easier and I feel a lot better with it. I know that I sound a whole lot worse ( ) on it than on the piano, but I do feel more natural on the violin.

Also, I do go through phases where I am drawn to practising one more than the other. At the moment I'm into the piano- and I do feel guilter when I am into the piano than when I am into the violin. But I think that's because my violin teacher is a lot more excitable than my piano teacher in terms of the volume of studies and scales and exercises I am expected to learn each fortnight, so it's always more evident when I haven't practised the violin than the piano LOL.

Hypothetically, I would prefer to be a great pianist than a great violinist. I prefer listening to the piano over listening to the violin. BUT the violin feels so much more natural on my shoulder than the piano does under my fingers.

I am starting to ramble now so I'll be quiet... maybe I just haven't reached the stage where I have to choose yet. Do you have to choose at all? Does everyone have a 'first' and a 'second' instrument, or can you treat them equally?

Hi Littlelady,
see, for me is the opposite, it's my piano teacher that 'wants' more out of me, my violin teacher is the opposite, I TELL HIM I want more/I need more/and can I do this now and that??? I asked him to get me started on third position unless he thought I was not ready and he thought I was (so why was he waiting for me to ask? ) but nevertheless I am more into violin 'I think'

If I listen to music I think I get more goosebumps from listening to violin than piano, although I immensely enjoy piano music too...

see, I think 'you lot' are helping now reflecting on your posts makes me reflect on myself and I am more and more swayed to the violin side, I haven't reached a conclusion 'yet' but it seems I 'may be' a violinist rather than a pianist, but I love the piano and will never abandon it

I took up violin approx. 1 year after I started re-learning piano (now 5/6). Preparing for grade 3 violin (not taking exam, just going through the motions) has required much less effort than it took for me to prepare for grade 3 piano. Similarly my daughter has passed grade 1 violin but is yet to take grade 1 piano, despite starting piano before violin.

My violin teacher has told me (and I'm happy to be corrected) that, in the early grades, the standard for violin is 'lower' relative to piano, but this evens out in the higher grades. If you have a good ear, I think it is possible to progress quite rapidly on the violin in the lower grades. However, I would tend to agree with whoever said that violin is the hardest - bowing control aside (), there are many other technical aspects that I have yet to encounter/master and I'm not blinkered by any means by what I have accomplished so far! There's a long way to go.......

At this stage, I wouldn't worry too much about whether you are a violinist or a pianist; as you have said yourself, it's the enjoyment that matters.

^ wise words.

I would also say that, at grade 3 ish level and having played both instruments less than a year, it is simply way too early to say. Most people have fits and starts in their playing, plateau out at some stages, and go through stages of which instrument(s) they prefer/find easier or more difficult.

At this stage, it's not necessary and I'm not sure it's helpful for you to be trying to decide if you're a pianist or a violinist - things may change drastically over the course of your learning.

So it seems that piano 'might be harder' in lower grades, that would make sense to me as it is the way I am finding it so far.....

That's really interesting; I don't consider myself a 'pianist' because I didn't reach the standard I required of myself i.e. a professional concert pianist. Even if I was to play to 24/7 the element of obsessive drive would take over from any idea of 'fun' because I take piano playing incredibly seriously. I started piano when I was six and would have called myself a pianist back then but now wouldn't use the term 'pianist' until I was at the top.

But now, I'm having loads of 'fun' playing the violin but really barely take it seriously it life's grand plan so I would struggle to call myself a 'violinist'... well, not yet.

Maybe once I reach grade six and join an orchestra I would call myself a 'violinist'. But in terms of ease of playing it's been easier than anything else I tried.. it does feel natural and I personally think the early stages are not as hard as they're made out to be and anybody could quickly reach grade 3 or so - I think later on it becomes mind-numbingly difficult

Talking of ease of playing though.. I'm off the the Doctor today about possible RSI in my left wrist

It's to do with wht instrument your good at naturaly.



I'm not so good on violin compared to the piano, but maybe that's just lack of violin practice...

Hope it goes well - let us know

I've got a swelling on the tendon in my wrist. I don't really know what that means and I forgot to ask what I should do about it but he said to put ibuprofen jel on it if it's sore, or take painkillers which feels a bit drastic. I was really seeing him about my migraine problem so although I mentioned playing the violin I forgot to ask if I can still carry on playing as much ... doh! Some days it's very sore, others it's fine.

What is RSI exactly? Is that inflammation of the tendons???

Isn't it just the abbreviated form of Repetitive Strain Injury? So inflammation of the tendons could be an RSI, just as apparently a hairline fracture through excessive, continued pratice could be a 'well-disguised RSI' .

I agree with what LooneyTunes said about not worrying about whether you are a pianist or a violinist and just enjoying it, but as I said before, I completely understand where you're coming from Jo.

Why can't someone setting out to learn an instrument call themselves a pianist or violinist, I wonder? Recorder players get to call themselves that much more readily - the society of recorder players welcomes anyone from pretty much beginnerhood onwards. We had a discussion some time back about who was "entitled" to call themselves a musician, some feeling it ought to be professionals only, others that amateurs could if they were good enough (leading to more discussion about just what was good enough). Be a violinist and a pianist, if you play both, to whatever level - if you get sore hands or some other health problem which might interfere with music-making, then you'd mention it to your doc, surely?

*signed: moderately accomplished recorder player, duff pianist, and former (atrocious) oboist *

Is there a society for violin players? I remember there used to be one for clarinet and sax players.

I am finding piano incredibly more difficult than violin
as to the subject of 'pianist'/'violinist'/'recorder player' (at first I read: recorD player ), I think like Lizbun said, if it 'feels natural' to you then you probably 'feel more of a recorder player/piano player/ and so on'.
I also think that sometimes we can think too much about things like this (guilty I am of course as I can think too much now and again )
but boy, isn't piano difficult? (can't you tell I'm having a bad piano day? )

Part of the difficulty for me initially was finger strength especially left 4th and 5th but it does get better

I usually think of adding an -ist if one is either doing it as a job, or at a suitably high level to be quite impressive. I don't mean DipAB or even G8, just that it sounds good to most people. I wouldn't dream of calling myself anything more than 'beginning violist' just to make sure that it's clear I'm only in the early stages, not by any means proficient. It's tempting to let people think I'm good , but not very honest and as I couldn't come up with the goods.....

Interestingly in real life I would never say I'm a pianist (the only place I have called myself a pianist is in my forum username! But this was simply a reflection of the number of pianists around at the time....), rather I would say 'I play the piano'. I would feel if one says one is a(n) X that implies that X is one's job: and is not necessarily even reflective of how good one is. If I did building in my spare time (which I don't) and called myself a builder, for example, I would expect that people would think I as saying that was my job.

Are you a mathematician?

I call myself what I deem appropriate - which is normally a pianist by now... I don't consider myself a violist, though, despite the fact I'm doing G8. Indeed, I would say I'm better at the piano, despite the fact I could do viola G8 up to a year before the piano...